January Update: Applications Closing, Feedback and Upcoming Events
It already feels like ages ago that everyone was away for the holidays, and term has been as busy as ever for our students finishing Semester One exams and coursework.
But we’re back now and ready for lots of new volunteering this term!
Applications OPEN:
Our applications are currently open and will close on Sunday 3rd February for Schools Plus, Code Plus and Branch Up, so get those applications in now!
Active will also be closing shortly, but the good news is LinkAges, BioCycle and Local Action are open all year round!
Mid-Year Feedback:
Over the past two months the Southampton Hub staff team have been busy collecting feedback from partners and students, and we’re thrilled to say that we’ve received the most feedback we’ve EVER had!
This is amazing as it means that we can get a really accurate idea of what is going well in programmes, what needs to be improved and how we’re meeting our outcomes. To everyone who filled the feedback out, thank you so much.
See some of the below quotes for a few highlights:
Schools Plus volunteer: “ I love helping the children each week [and] seeing children return week after week growing in confidence … I really like the variety of topics I get to engage with, as well as the variety of children from different backgrounds and of different ages. This is one of my highlights of the week – I love it.”
Branch Up volunteer: “I love spending the day with the children and being a mentor to them, so they have someone to look up to and improve their future aspirations. The days are a lot of fun and I love seeing how much Branch Up means to them.”
Libraries Plus partner: “It has been fantastic to be able to offer our children help with their homework in the library, plus the volunteers seem to really enjoy working with the children. Homework help is not something we could do without Libraries Plus.”
Expect a full debrief of outcomes from reviewing the feedback next month!
Upcoming Events:
The Southampton Hub staff team and committee have also been busy planning events for Semester Two.
See all the fantastic stuff we’ve got up and coming for you below:
Student Volunteering Week training (11th-17th February): We’ve got training lined up from the School of Education, TeachFirst and a reflection and employability session from Fiona, Southampton Hub Manager on Wednesday 13th February, along with several other Local Action and fundraising events across the week.
Southampton Hub Awards (Wednesday 13th March, 6pm-8pm): After the success of the first ever Awards last year, we’re going to run them again this year and celebrate all the incredible work you’ve done as part of our programmes.
AGM (Wednesday 20th March, 2pm-4pm): We’re going to be saying goodbye to our outgoing committee and hello to lots of new faces on our executive and sub-committees. Expect more to be announced next month about which positions we’re looking for!
Careers workshop (Wednesday 27th March, 2pm-4pm): Rob from the Careers team will be running a bespoke session for our volunteers to think about employability and including your volunteering in CVs and job interviews.
Our Facebook page is going to have all the latest information about these events as we get closer to them, so make sure you check it out.
That’s it for January! Keep up to date with our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and website in the meantime for any updates, and we look forward to seeing you all in February.